The DARK TRUTH about Money

Because that's the dream, right?

You are gently pushed into the scholastic system at a young and impressionable age. With your uniform just a little too big.. not to worry, you'll soon grow into it. Eager to make your parents proud (not that they aren't already) on your first day of school.

You get to meet with other kids and learn that you are not alone and you're not the first kid to go through this ordeal. And the teachers who teach you, have done this before. Fulfilling a sense of warmth. Security.

Collectively, we learn basic fundamentals such as our ABC's and 123's. As the years go by, we learn that the ABC's like to create problems with the 123's (we're looking at you y, we are tired of finding your x!)

It has been nearly a decade now since starting school, making some friends along the way. Some of us, have found school to be exactly what we needed.. maybe even have an idea of how our grades will turn out too. The lucky few who already have a strong idea of what they want to be when school is over.

Exam results day. That brown letter you have spent the best part of 11 years studying and waiting for.. It is finally here! You run to your front door and retrieve your prize.

With shaking hands, you tear open the envelope to reveal your grades..

Suddenly, panic..

"What if I didn't do so well?"

Slowly, those brilliant white certificates begin to slide out of the envelope..

English.. A

Mathematics.. A

Science.. A

You did it! You got the grades you needed for college! You now know that if you maintain your work ethic, you can get into university and get a degree or two. You can get a good job after all! You won't be confined to a life of living hand to mouth!

University beckons... your work load practically quadruples. But that doesn't phase you. You are brimming with life, zest and optimism!

In what appears to be a blink of an eye, you complete your degree. The years of sleepless nights, last minute cramming, exams, dissertations and all night parties have finally paid off!

You land your dream job. You always wanted to do this. Even when you was a small child. This has always been your dream and now you live it! You never chose your profession for the money. You chose it because you are passionate about it.. but hey, the pay is pretty sweet too!

Another decade passes.. You've saved enough to put a deposit down on a mortgage. This is it. You made it..

Or have you..?

As the years pass you by, you notice something wrong. You can't quite put your finger on it. But it eats slowly away at you. Leaving you feeling cold and insecure. Your profession pays you handsomely. In fact, you are in the top 10% of earners in the world. Yet.. every month is still a struggle. You struggle to pay off your bills and mortgage sometimes. And getting a holiday twice a year seems financially unfeasible. You don't understand. You have worked very hard your whole life. Harder than most. So why is money such a problem for you?

You start speaking with your friends as equally successful as yourself.. Doctors, Judges, Architects.. They are at the top of their fields and top of their game. Yet, they too, are struggling with money. Their 6 figure salaries just don't seem to make the difference. You cannot help but wonder..

If we are all in the top 10% of earners.. why do we all struggle? How do people on minimum wage even survive!? You feel as if you are missing a piece of the puzzle.. Has it got something to do with your hatred of algebra? It can't be.. (it isn't)

You rack your brains.. trying to figure out the dark truth that has been staring you in the face this whole time..

You were never taught how to use money, only how to spend it.

Over your lifetime, you have spent your money on wants / needs and you saved where you could. You were never too keen to spend your money carelessly, but you were never frugal with it either. Life brings you things like friends, a loving partner, children.. needing a home, a car, holidays..

You're in your mid to late thirties now. With a mortgage to pay and another baby on the way. You still haven't finished paying for your car.. Your jobs income is now vital. You cannot move. You spent so long specialising on your skillset that now you can only do the profession you studied for. You know nothing else. Your financial commitments are now so high that changing career at this point is most untenable. You cannot afford to start from scratch, despite your abilities. You're trapped!

You now realise that learning how to be good at something is not nearly as important as the ability to create wealth. Having a job does not create wealth!

In a capitalist society, one would assume that the scholastic system designed to ready you for this capitalist world would be sufficient.

It is NOT.

But now that doesn't matter, your child is about to finish school themselves. The mere thought of your child going through what you went through your whole life invites the same panic you felt before opening your grades. Reminds you of the despondency you and your friends have been feeling. You have to do something.

You purchase books by revered financiers, investors and entrepreneurs. You always half knew, but never wanted to risk losing what little money you had on an unknown. You realise now that you were happy to lose money on things (liabilities), but not on passive income generating assets. You realise that creating wealth is a process, not an event. If only you had this knowledge when you were younger.. You finally know exactly how to create wealth. And not a moment too soon!

Another brown envelope slips through the letter box. Your child walks into the living room, trembling slightly. Sitting across the room from him you share a warm and beaming smile with him, ever so aware of what he is going through. Realising to yourself that whatever is printed on that piece of paper, in the grand scheme of things, really is not that important. It is important, but not as much as you'd think.

"What if I didn't do so well?" your child echoes from your past results day

At long last. All those years of struggle, hard work, debt, life and everything in-between have led to this moment. You get up and walk over to your trembling child. A reassuring hand on their shoulders as you look them in the eyes and say:

"Whatever is in that envelope will not make you rich. It will not make your life better. It will not make your life worse. It will not solve all of your problems and it will never reveal about you what you know already. But, what I can tell you is this. There is not one certificate in there that teaches you how to make money and I have spent my entire lifetime learning this lesson. Now, I can teach you a skillset school never taught me, my friends, you, your friends.. anyone in fact. I'm going to make sure you don't make the same mistakes I did.."

Because that's the dream, right?